Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to bathroom accessories. More specifically, the present invention pertains to an improved attachment clip for a standard toilet that aids in promoting hygiene and cleanliness. The toilet seat lifter is designed to be retrofitted onto a toilet and keep the toilet seat in an upright position unless external pressure is applied to push the seat into a horizontal position.
Should the toilet seat be left up or down? The question arises, especially, when people of opposite genders share one bathroom. Common bathroom etiquette states that it is courteous and considerate to put the seat down after use. Naturally, as men are the only ones that may require the seat in an upright position, men are primarily responsible for placing the seat up and down. However, quite often, men forget to place the seat down after use. Frequently, horror stories are told where women wake up half asleep in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, and then they involuntarily wake up as their hearts skipped a beat in lieu of falling into the toilet.
Women argue that the toilet seat should always be left down because they do not want to have to look down before they sit down. Furthermore, because men stand in front of the toilet and have to aim, they are already required to look down, and the onus should be on them to adjust the seat up or down accordingly. Men often acquiesce to women and their demands, but such a chore can be easily forgotten or some men cannot be bothered by having to raise or lower the seat.
Accordingly, the task allotted to men by common bathroom etiquette can be seen as bothersome or arduous. If the problem is so difficult for men, then it is reasonable for both men and women to shoulder a share of the responsibility. A potential solution is for the seat to remain in the upright position. Both men and women will need to be more attentive to advance their own needs.
The present invention provides a retrofitted attachment that is configured to maintain the toilet seat in an upright position. The present invention is adapted to promote hygiene and prevent urine from splattering the toilet seat. In a preferred embodiment, the present invention comprises a clip, a spring-loaded hinge, and a rectangular plate. The clip attaches the device to the back of a toilet between the rim and the seat. The rectangular plate is hingedly attached to the clip and there is a torsion spring set within the hinge to push the rectangular plate upright.
In operation, the device removably attaches thereto the back rim of the toilet so that the upper end of rectangular plate lays against the underside of the toilet seat. The present invention maintains the rectangular plate and the toilet seat in an upright position. The present invention also may include a pair of arms that further fasten with the toilet seat and maintain its upright position. A toilet seat with the present invention attached to it can still be placed in a horizontal configuration when an external pressure is applied by pushing the toilet seat down into a horizontal configuration. When the external force is released the toilet seat returns to an upright position.
Description of the Prior Art
Devices have been disclosed in the prior art that relate to vertically held toilet seats. These include devices that have been patented and published in patent application publications. Some of these devices disclose devices that attach to the rear of the toilet seat. Other devices require the hinges on the toilet seat and disassembly or replacement of the toilet seat is required. These devices, however, do not disclose a removably attached device that can attach to the bottom rim of the toilet to maintain a toilet seat in an upright position. The foregoing is a list of devices deemed most relevant to the present disclosure, which are herein described for the purposes of highlighting and differentiating the unique aspects of the present invention, and further highlighting the drawbacks existing in the prior art.
Specifically, U.S. Patent Application. No. 2009/0199331 to Tong is a lift apparatus for a toilet seat attached on the rear end of the toilet seat to keep the toilet seat in upright position. The toilet seat is pushed downward with external force when needed. The lift apparatus uses a spring plate with a hook, small plate supporter, and a plate stand. The hook attaches to the rear end of the toilet seat. The small plate supporter rests on top of the toilet to prevent the toilet seat from overturning backwards. The plate stand rests on the top of toilet to keep the toilet seat at upward position. While Tong discloses a device for maintaining a toilet seat in an upright position, the device of Tong differs from the present invention in that it uses a pull mechanism to lift the toilet seat upright. In contrast, the present invention removably clips to the back rim of the toilet seat, and the torsion spring pushes the rectangular plate and toilet seat upright. In addition, the Tong device can be utilized only with a toilet that has a seat, but not a compatible toilet lid. In contrast, the current device attaches to the bottom rim of the toilet, which enables the current device to push a toilet seat upright with or without the toilet lid.
Similarly, U.S. Patent Application. No. 2013/0117918 to Tian is another device to keep the toilet seat upright. The Tian device is installed to the hinges of a toilet seat. It uses torsion springs connected to the hinges of the toilet seat to keep the toilet seat and cover in an upright position. The seat can be placed downward with a downward force against the torsion springs. As the Tong device attaches to the hinges of a toilet seat, toilet seat and cover must be separated from one another in order to install the device for use. Here, the current invention does not impose such a requirement. The current device is retrofitted onto the toilet by clamping onto the back rim of the toilet seat.
Additionally, U.S. patent application No. 2013/0219602 to Korzelski is also an automatic toilet seat lifter having rotary spring-loaded actuators that are coupled with a control device to lift and lower the toilet seat in a hands-free manner. The spring-loaded actuators comprise rotary modules and springs that are mounted on a pipe. The rotary modules are adapted to attach to the hinges of a toilet seat, so that the device is mounted at the rear part of the toilet seat, near the water tank. In contrast, the present invention comprises a torsion spring and a base that pushes the toilet seat into an upright position, wherein the base is attached to an underside of the toilet seat.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,479,323 to Blum relates to a spring-mounted vertically held toilet seat. The Blum device uses a pull handle that is connected to a mechanism that is associated with lifting the seat to a vertical rest position. The toilet seat lifting assembly comprises a toilet seat including two fixed hinge supports, an outer casing arranged between the two hinges, a pull handle having a shaft and a base rod, the shaft being connected in a four-bar-link via a first pin to a link, and the link being connected via second pin with a pivotal L-shaped link. When the pull handle is pivoted out of the vertical rest position, the torsion spring is tensioned. Upon relaxing the pull handle, the torsion spring forces the seat up to move back into the vertical position. The invention can be used to retrofit on an existing toilet pedestal by replacing the standard toilet seat or can be included on a new toilet pedestal when the pedestal is installed.
The Blum device requires that the existing toilet seat be replaced, which is not required of the current invention. The current device does not use a pull handle or require to attach moving parts to the hinges to keep the toilet seat in a stationary upright position. The current device can also be retrofitted to fit any toilet seat, whereas the Blum device requires the existing toilet seat to be replaced.
The devices disclosed in the prior art have several known drawbacks. These devices are limited as they require the use of the hinges in the toilet seat which would require disassembly or replacement. Some of these prior arts also attach to the rear lip of the toilet. The present invention overcomes these limitations by providing a clip can easily be retrofitted onto any toilet. The present invention removably attaches onto the bottom rim of the toilet and uses a torsion spring and a rectangular plate to maintain the toilet seat in an upright position. A toilet seat with the present invention attached to it can still be placed in a horizontal configuration when an external pressure is applied by pushing the toilet seat down into a horizontal configuration.
It is therefore submitted that the present invention is substantially divergent in design elements from the prior art, and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement to vertically held toilet seats. In this regard, the instant invention substantially fulfills these needs.